Big Time Gaming Casino Software Guide

The Sydney-based developer has built a formidable reputation for designing and developing highly innovative games that boast intelligent maths and complex mechanics. Its MegaWays™ mechanic is a random reel-modifier system allowing any given spin to produce a different number of symbols across the reels, so players experience a totally different game with every spin.

Intro

Big Time Gaming has been riding an incredible wave of success. It launched in 2011, but only recently has the company properly found its feet. Now that it has, there are no signs of it slowing down. The developer takes a different approach to its rivals, launching just three new games per year. But each boasts complex maths and state-of-the-art mechanics that set the standard for others to follow – Bonanza was the most spun game on William Hill, LeoVegas, and Sky Vegas in 2017.

The developer was founded by online casino veteran Nik Robinson in 2011. Robinson’s previous business, New Technology Media (NT Media), became the first to launch slot games that could be played in-browser while the likes of Microgaming and Playtech were still focussed on download. After eight years, Robinson sold the business to News Corp, which then merged NT Media with Orbis to form OpenBet. Robinson stayed on, growing the business from 45 to 500 full-time staff.

During that time, he helped develop the first tumbling-reel games with Cash Drop and Chain Reactors, both of which are still popular today. Robinson then took a break from the industry, but quickly returned to the action with Big Time Gaming, which was established with no external investment. The developer is headquartered in New South Wales, Australia, and holds licences with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission and the United Kingdom Gambling Commission among others.

Big Time Gaming’s portfolio stands at 20 – which is much smaller than even its closest rivals Red Tiger Gaming (60 games) and Quickspin (32 games). But the company is a true believer in quality over quantity, delivering genuine innovation and taking the player experience to another level. This has been achieved through several (trademarked) industry firsts, including Dual Reactions™, MegaWays™, and Unlimited Multiplier™ among others.

The developer likes to swim against the tide, and this approach is really starting to pay dividends. The success of its games is not just anecdotal; its slots are the largest revenue generators on the NYX OGS, and for operator Videoslots make up more than 50% of revenues coming through the platform, which offers more than 2,000 games. Big Time Gaming, it seems, has really hit the big time.

Products

On paper, Big Time Gaming has one of the smallest game portfolios in the market. Standing at just 20 strong – and with only three new titles added each year – it is dwarfed by the likes of Microgaming and Playtech, which have upwards of 800 games and launch more than three new titles per month, not per year. But that doesn’t tell the full story, and what Big Time Gaming lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality.

Its slots games boast incredible graphics and stunning animations. Most are dark, mysterious and brooding, and while some are based on famous characters – White Rabbit takes its cues from Alice in Wonderland – they are clearly aimed at an adult audience. Game sounds are crisp and authentic, and the phenomenally smart maths and mechanics firing away under the hood mean that the player experience is not only immersive and engaging, but entirely unique.

Its most recent games are Bonanza, Danger High Voltage, and White Rabbit. Player favourites from previous years include Dragon Born, Gold, Queen of Riches, and Starquest. Unlike other developers, Big Time Gaming does not offer games with progressive or networked jackpots. Instead, life-changing wins come via its innovative maths and mechanics. Extending Reels™, for example, sees the reels extend during the feature for up to 250,000 ways to win.

Aside from its slots, the developer also offers a small selection of instant win games which is calls TapCards™. These are mobile-optimised scratch cards that provide players with a quick-win progressive-jackpot-style journey with every new card purchase. They are aimed predominantly at the North American lottery market, but are available with a handful of tier one operators in Europe. Titles in this category include Diamonds and Lucky Streak.

Each of Big Time Gaming’s slots and scratch cards are developed in HTML5, allowing them to be launched simultaneously on desktop and mobile. The supplier has moved the needle on mobile, particularly when it comes to in-browser and delivering the same experience enjoyed by those accessing games through native applications.

Innovations

Big Time Gaming is a slots pioneer, and since its inception in 2011 has brought countless game-changing reel structures and mechanics to the market. In some ways, it has needed to: the lack of progressive and networked jackpots has the potential to deter players who are excited by epic wins, as does the high volatility of its games when it comes to more casual players. But the supplier has made a habit of launching never-seen-before configurations and features that have overcome this.

Below are the key innovations Big Time Gaming has launched in the past few years, those that have been a major driver in the popularity and success of its games.

Dual Reactions™ – Reels that react both vertically and horizontally

Unlimited Multiplier™ – Every win in Free Spins increases the Win Multiplier by one

MegaWays™ – Differential reel symbols on each reel with every spin

Elevator Wilds™ – Massive multipliers that build up while the reels are still spinning

Random Sticky™ – Takes a symbol from the pay table and makes it a Sticky Wild

Feature Drop™ – The ability to buy a feature with in play-price reduction

Extending Reels™ – Reels extend during the feature for up to 250,000 ways to win

Another area where Big Time Gaming has led the charge is streaming. Each of its games has been designed with social sharing in mind, allowing players to upload footage of their big wins to Twitch and YouTube. This has proved hugely popular, with more than 150 hours per week of broadcast footage shared online. Part of its success here has been its partnership with Swedish Slots superstar Kim Hultman (LetsGiveItASpin on Twitch).

Hultman was the first player ever to spin the reels on Danger High Voltage and White Rabbit on its exclusive launch with LeoVegas, with the footage streamed live to his 16,000+ followers. This helps explain why Big Time Gaming’s slots have become so popular among Millennials and younger players; the supplier understands how to market to them via the platforms and channels they engage with most.

Mobile

Big Time Gaming has been laser-focused on mobile from the get go. In fact, the supplier was the first to develop a 60 frame-per-second engine for mobile browsers, which provides native application quality in-browser on any device and operating system. The supplier’s entire portfolio of 20 games can be accessed via virtually all smartphone and tablet devices. Its mobile games also offer the same stunning graphics, sounds, features and game play found on desktop.

Our top three Big Time Gaming games

While Big Time Gaming offers a small portfolio of games, each comes with its own design, sounds, and features. Here at Jackpot.co.uk, we have spun the reels on the supplier’s latest releases, and this is what we thought of them.

1. Bonanza

5×6 reel

117,949 pay lines

HTML5

Desktop and mobile

RTP: 96%

Bonanza is themed around mining and it’s the player’s job to blast through the granite to reveal a wealth of riches. As with all BTG games, it has card symbols from Nine to Ace, with Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds for the top pays. Sticks of dynamite act as the Wilds and there are four Scatter symbols – letters G, O, L and D. The game also features the supplier’s MegaWays™ mechanic, which provides up to 117,649 ways to win. It also comes with Dual Reactions™– reels that react both vertically and horizontally, and Unlimited Multiplier™ – during the free spins the multiplier is never reset.

2. Danger High Voltage

4×6 reel

4,096 pay lines

HTML5

Desktop and mobile

RTP: 95.67%

Based on the song by rock band Electric Six, this slot turns up the volume – and the fun factor – to max. Set against a disco floor, reel symbols include Tacos, Bells and Mirror Balls, as well as card symbols from Nine to Ace. Bonus features include two types of Free Spin – High Voltage Free Spins and Gates of Hell Free Spins – which are triggered when three Scatter symbols (the Taco) land. The former awards 15 free spins when the High Voltage Wild is on the reels, boosting winnings with a multiplier of between 11x and 66x. The latter offers seven Free Spins with a random symbol picked as the Sticky Wild.

3. White Rabbit

5×5 reel

250,000 pay lines

HTML5

Desktop and mobile

RTP: 96%

Themed on the famous character from Alice in Wonderland, but with a dark and brooding twist, White Rabbit is the latest Big Time Gaming launch. It comes packed with the supplier’s most innovative features, including MegaWays™, Feature Drop™ and Extending Reels™ to deliver massive wins without a progressive jackpot. Extending Reels™ appear during Rabbit Hole Free Spins, which offer the chance of 60 retriggered Free Spins, once the reels are fully extended. Each reel opens up to a maximum of 12 symbols, culminating in a massive 248,832 ways to win. Set against a wonderland backdrop, symbols include a Mirror, Cupcake and Rabbit himself.

Conclusion

Big Time Gaming has really hit the ground running in recent months; its latest titles are hugely successful and have really struck a chord with players. For a developer that launches just three games per year, the pressure is very much on to move the needle with each title. At present, Big Time Gaming is taking this in its stride – its production line is delivering innovation after innovation and with no compromise whatsoever when it comes to quality.

The supplier’s games are now stocked by most online casino brands, and titles such as Bonanza and White Rabbit are smashing records when it comes to the number of players spinning the reels. Given the developer’s preference for high volatility games – they pay out less often, but when they do, the wins tend to be large – and its steadfast belief that big wins can be offered without the need for progressive and networked jackpots, this may come as a surprise to some.

But when you look at the quality of the product offered by Big Time Gaming – from the graphics to the sound via never-seen-before features – it’s easy to see why the developer is enjoying so much success with its most recent games. Indeed, the company seems to have found its place in the market; it may do things differently and swim against the tide, but it has found the formula for designing and building blockbuster slots games that players love.

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